Matthew J Tow - The Way of Things

  by Carl Bookstein

published: 13 / 8 / 2013

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Review

Consistently inspired, Matthew J. Tow’s music was born from a mix of 1990’s indie rock and 1960’s psychedelic revival. His journey includes being front man for the stellar Australian band the Lovetones, his work with Drop City and even collaborator/ songwriter for the Brian Jonestown Massacre a decade ago. ‘The Way of Things’ is Tow’s first official solo album. The new album starts with the spiraling sounds of ‘Night and Day’- sort of a calliope from space, at once magical and healing. Tow, in a subtle but notable way, is like an orchestral maestro, conducting a rich sea of sound. “There’s a river flowing right through my heart,” Tow sings “It twists and turns, takes me to the very start.” His vocal is resonant. The sonics and instrumentation are varied and tasteful. The performance is intimate- more stripped down than some Lovetones material- yet still lush. Tow’s music is evocative of the 1960s, yet entirely original. ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’ is reminiscent of classic vintage psych rock with great pop song craft sensibilities. Tow’s voice is genuinely comforting as he repeatedly assures the listener that everything will work out. The narrator on ‘Crazy Ramblin’ Broken Heart’ seeks forgiveness, with soul soothing music that patches up pain. ‘When I Get to Sydney’ starts out with tender keyboards and is soon a wash in melancholia. The vocal and melodic style both conjure early ‘Space Oddity’ album era Bowie, as Tow sings, “I’ll make things better/ Wait and see.” Bright, chiming and optimistic, ‘Seven Days’ is classic songwriting in the Lennon and McCartney vein. ‘Worlds Collide’ finds Tow pondering his universe with steady, warm psychedelic tinged folk rock. ‘I Love My Brother’ is the beautiful, stirring closer about a dream of a family reuniting for a better future. On ‘The Way of Things’, the ever talented Matthew J. Tow hits home once again.

Track Listing:-

1 Night and Day
2 Its Gonna Be Alright
3 Crazy Ramblin Broken Heart
4 When I Get to Sydney
5 Seven Days
6 Worlds Collide
7 Sail Tonight
8 Just Got Back
9 Just Got Back
10 I Love My Brother

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/matthewjtow/
http://matthewjtow.com/

Label Links:-

http://www.xemu.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Xemu-Records-
https://twitter.com/XemuRecords
http://xemu.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtf60